Embedding Linux can apparently become a bit messy. This is set to change. With the support of Intel, the Linux Foundation has recently launched the "Yocto Project" This project is not a linux distribution or platform but a complete embedded Linux development environment with tools, metadata, and documentation. The project currently targets four architectures: ARM, MIPS, PowerPC and x86 (32 and 64 Bit). Intel's support for the project can best be summarized from its own press release: "Intel is supporting the Yocto Project with code and resources to help provide high-quality developer tools assisting companies with the creation of custom Linux-based systems for embedded products on any hardware architecture."

Their "Moorestown" Atom-based chip, said to debut on devices such as smartphones next year,is Intel's first serious push into this rapidly growing market that for the past few years are all but sown up by ARM based processors. And this market is only set to grow exponentially. From the Linux Foundation press release: “The use of Linux in embedded products has skyrocketed in recent years, with Linux now being used in consumer electronic devices of all kinds. CELF and The Linux Foundation believe that by combining resources they can more efficiently enable the adoption of Linux in the Consumer Electronics (CE) industry”